

 

Bonfire Night

Hitler and Göring came to power on January , . On that
day began the twelve-year “good run for my money” of which
the latter would make wistful mention when delivered into the
hands of his captors in . He was about to enjoy great power
and the privileges that went with it  access to immense riches
and the ability to repay to others something of the physical pain
that he had suffered since the beer hall putsch ten years before.
There were still snags, of course. Germany was on the brink
of political anarchy. Six million people were now unemployed.
The same number of disgruntled Communists showed no sign
yet of accepting defeat. And Hitler, still heading only a minority
party in the government, was allowed to fill only two of the
Cabinet posts with Nazis. Prima facie there was little to prevent
Hitler, with only Wilhelm Frock as minister of the interior and
Göring as minister without portfolio, from being washed over-
board like Schleicher and Papen before him.